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The Mount (Lenox, Massachusetts)
Encyclopedia
The Mount is a country house in Lenox, Massachusetts
, the home of noted American author Edith Wharton
, who designed the house and its grounds and considered it her "first real home." The estate, located in the Berkshires
, is open to the public from May to October. Visitors are offered tours of the house and gardens.
in England, with additional influences from classical Italian and French architecture. Edith Wharton
used the principles described in her first book, The Decoration of Houses
(co-authored with Ogden Codman, Jr.
), when she designed the house. She thought that good architectural expression included order, scale, and harmony. Its west (entry) elevation is three stories; on the garden side it is two stories with an opening out to a large, raised, stone terrace overlooking the grounds. The house exterior is a striking white stucco, strongly set off by black shutters, and rises from a quasi-rustic foundation of coarse field stone. Clusters of gables and white chimneys rise from the roof, which is capped with a balustrade and cupola
. This main house is augmented by Georgian
Revival gatehouse and stable, and a beautifully restored Lord and Burnham Greenhouse
. Wharton's sometime collaborator Ogden Codman, Jr.
assisted with the architectural design. Wharton's niece, Beatrix Jones Farrand
, designed the kitchen garden and the drive; Farrand was the only woman of the eleven founders of the American Society of Landscape Architects
.
Edith Wharton and her husband, Edward, lived in the Mount from 1902 to 1911. After the Whartons left, the house was a private residence, a girls' dormitory for the Foxhollow School, and site of the theatre company Shakespeare & Company
. It was then bought by Edith Wharton Restoration, which has restored much of the property to its original condition.
The house is situated at the high end of its grounds. The original site was 113 acre (0.45729518 km²) of farmland, with another 15 acres (60,702.9 m²) later added. The current estate size is 49.5 acres (200,319.6 m²). Restored gardens include an Italian walled garden, formal flower garden, alpine rock garden, lime walk, and extensive grass terraces.
allowed an extension on the bank loan until April 24, 2008. An emergency campaign was instigated to help raise the funds necessary to prevent foreclosure.
In May 2009 The Mount announced that a debt restructuring agreement with its principal lenders had been executed. The agreement reduced its funded indebtedness by $3.7 million—from $8.4 million down to $4.7 million.
The Mount is open for the summer season as of May 1, 2010. Upcoming events include a performance of Summer by The Wharton Salon, and the Berkshire Wordfest, a literary festival in late July.
In 1942 The Mount became part of the Foxhollow School for Girls, and residents reported unexplained noises and experiences in the living areas of the mansion. Following the school's closure in 1976, the mansion remained vacant for several years until Shakespeare & Company used it as a dormitory and performance space. Actors reported the same unexplained sounds and sightings of figures in period dress. In early 2009, SyFy
television show Ghost Hunters
filmed an episode at The Mount, and over the course of three days reported audio and visual evidence of activity, such as the sounds of footsteps in an otherwise empty room, and disembodied voices.
Currently, The Mount offers 'ghost tours' on Friday nights during the summer season. Staff members give tours of the estate, including the stable and the mansion.
Lenox, Massachusetts
Lenox is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. Set in Western Massachusetts, it is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 5,077 at the 2000 census. Where the town has a border with Stockbridge is the site of Tanglewood, summer...
, the home of noted American author Edith Wharton
Edith Wharton
Edith Wharton , was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist, short story writer, and designer.- Early life and marriage:...
, who designed the house and its grounds and considered it her "first real home." The estate, located in the Berkshires
The Berkshires
The Berkshires , is a highland geologic region located in the western parts of Massachusetts and Connecticut.Also referred to as the Berkshire Hills, Berkshire Mountains, and Berkshire Plateau, the region enjoys a vibrant tourism industry based on music, arts, and recreation.-Definition:The term...
, is open to the public from May to October. Visitors are offered tours of the house and gardens.
History
The Mount's main house was inspired by the 17th-century Belton HouseBelton House
Belton House is a Grade I listed country house in Belton near Grantham, Lincolnshire, England. The mansion is surrounded by formal gardens and a series of avenues leading to follies within a larger wooded park...
in England, with additional influences from classical Italian and French architecture. Edith Wharton
Edith Wharton
Edith Wharton , was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist, short story writer, and designer.- Early life and marriage:...
used the principles described in her first book, The Decoration of Houses
The Decoration of Houses
The Decoration of Houses, a manual of interior design written by Edith Wharton with architect Ogden Codman, was first published in 1898. In the book, the authors denounced Victorian-style interior decoration and interior design, especially those rooms that were decorated with heavy window curtains,...
(co-authored with Ogden Codman, Jr.
Ogden Codman, Jr.
Ogden Codman, Jr. was a noted American architect and interior decorator in the Beaux-Arts styles, and co-author with Edith Wharton of The Decoration of Houses , which became a standard in American interior design....
), when she designed the house. She thought that good architectural expression included order, scale, and harmony. Its west (entry) elevation is three stories; on the garden side it is two stories with an opening out to a large, raised, stone terrace overlooking the grounds. The house exterior is a striking white stucco, strongly set off by black shutters, and rises from a quasi-rustic foundation of coarse field stone. Clusters of gables and white chimneys rise from the roof, which is capped with a balustrade and cupola
Cupola
In architecture, a cupola is a small, most-often dome-like, structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome....
. This main house is augmented by Georgian
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
Revival gatehouse and stable, and a beautifully restored Lord and Burnham Greenhouse
Greenhouse
A greenhouse is a building in which plants are grown. These structures range in size from small sheds to very large buildings...
. Wharton's sometime collaborator Ogden Codman, Jr.
Ogden Codman, Jr.
Ogden Codman, Jr. was a noted American architect and interior decorator in the Beaux-Arts styles, and co-author with Edith Wharton of The Decoration of Houses , which became a standard in American interior design....
assisted with the architectural design. Wharton's niece, Beatrix Jones Farrand
Beatrix Farrand
Beatrix Jones Farrand was a landscape gardener and landscape architect in the United States. Her career included commissions to design the gardens for private residences, estates and country homes, public parks, botanic gardens, college campuses, and the White House.Farrand was one of the founding...
, designed the kitchen garden and the drive; Farrand was the only woman of the eleven founders of the American Society of Landscape Architects
American Society of Landscape Architects
The American Society of Landscape Architects is the national professional association representing landscape architects, with more than 17,000 members in 48 chapters, representing all 50 states, U.S. territories, and 42 countries around the world, plus 68 student chapters...
.
Shakespeare & Company (Massachusetts)
Shakespeare & Company is an American theatre company located in Lenox, Massachusetts in the Berkshire region of western Massachusetts. It was founded in 1978 by Artistic Director Tina Packer, who stepped down in 2009. Tony Simotes is the current Artistic Director. A co-founder was Kristin...
. It was then bought by Edith Wharton Restoration, which has restored much of the property to its original condition.
The house is situated at the high end of its grounds. The original site was 113 acre (0.45729518 km²) of farmland, with another 15 acres (60,702.9 m²) later added. The current estate size is 49.5 acres (200,319.6 m²). Restored gardens include an Italian walled garden, formal flower garden, alpine rock garden, lime walk, and extensive grass terraces.
Recent difficulty
The Mount fell into financial troubles in February 2008, defaulting on payment of a $4.3 million bank loan as well as still owing money to private lenders. Foreclosure proceedings had been threatened and the president of the Edith Wharton Restoration group resigned. A grant from the National Endowment for the HumanitiesNational Endowment for the Humanities
The National Endowment for the Humanities is an independent federal agency of the United States established by the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965 dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities. The NEH is located at...
allowed an extension on the bank loan until April 24, 2008. An emergency campaign was instigated to help raise the funds necessary to prevent foreclosure.
In May 2009 The Mount announced that a debt restructuring agreement with its principal lenders had been executed. The agreement reduced its funded indebtedness by $3.7 million—from $8.4 million down to $4.7 million.
The Mount is open for the summer season as of May 1, 2010. Upcoming events include a performance of Summer by The Wharton Salon, and the Berkshire Wordfest, a literary festival in late July.
Paranormal Activity
Edith Wharton wrote several ghost stories during her career, drawing on her own experience with and interest in the supernatural. As a child, she claimed to be "haunted by formless horrors" and as an adult she remained sensitive to the subject, until her late twenties. Later in life she became more comfortable with the subject, and would go on to write her own ghost stories.In 1942 The Mount became part of the Foxhollow School for Girls, and residents reported unexplained noises and experiences in the living areas of the mansion. Following the school's closure in 1976, the mansion remained vacant for several years until Shakespeare & Company used it as a dormitory and performance space. Actors reported the same unexplained sounds and sightings of figures in period dress. In early 2009, SyFy
Syfy
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
television show Ghost Hunters
Ghost Hunters
Ghost Hunters is an American paranormal reality television series that premiered on October 6, 2004, on Syfy . The program features paranormal investigators Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson who investigate places that are reported to be haunted. The two originally worked as plumbers for Roto-Rooter as...
filmed an episode at The Mount, and over the course of three days reported audio and visual evidence of activity, such as the sounds of footsteps in an otherwise empty room, and disembodied voices.
Currently, The Mount offers 'ghost tours' on Friday nights during the summer season. Staff members give tours of the estate, including the stable and the mansion.
Other Berkshire Cottages/Museums
- Ventfort HallVentfort HallVentfort Hall Mansion and Gilded Age Museum is a historic, Jacobean-style mansion and museum located at 104 Walker Street, Lenox, Massachusetts. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places...
- Chesterwood (Massachusetts)Chesterwood (Massachusetts)Chesterwood was the summer estate and studio of American sculptor Daniel Chester French in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.The estate covers of forest and field in the Berkshires, with French's summer home, studio, and garden dating from the 1920s...
- NaumkeagNaumkeagNaumkeag is a 44 room, shingle-style country house located at 5 Prospect Hill Road, Stockbridge, Massachusetts, USA in the Berkshires. It is now operated by The Trustees of Reservations as a nonprofit museum....